martyrs

"Holocaust means burning one's entire existence on the altar of the cross."

"The first duty in Brancaccio is to roll up our sleeves. And the first targets are children and adolescents: with them, we still have time, educational measures can be effective... But even at that age it is not easy, because many children are forced to work or steal. And many girls are forced to do worse, because there are also cases of child prostitution in the neighborhood."

"Love for God purifies and liberates. This does not mean that we become depersonalized, but rather that our personality is exalted and enhanced, that is, our natural faculties and our intelligence are given new potential. Our will is given new light. (p. 512)"

"Don Puglisi was proclaimed blessed on May 25, 2013. He who did not like celebrations, solemnities, or official rites, is consigned to history as the first martyr of the Church killed by the mafia in odium fidei."

"Each of us feels within ourselves a particular inclination, a charisma, a vocation, a project that makes each person unique and unrepeatable: journalist, teacher, priest, student, father, volunteer... This calling is the sign of the Holy Spirit within us. Only listening to this voice can give meaning to our lives. (p. 294)"

"On September 15, Don Pino Puglisi, parish priest of the church of San Gaetano in Brancaccio, was killed with a single gunshot to the back of the head. With his tireless pastoral, educational, and social work, the priest had become a thorn in the side of the local mafia."

"Those who think too much before taking a step will spend their whole life standing on one foot."

"We must give and ask our brother for whatever is necessary to help him."

"Twenty, sixty, a hundred years... life. What good is it if we go in the wrong direction? What matters is encountering Christ, living like him, proclaiming his saving Love. Bringing hope and not forgetting that all of us, each in our own place, even at personal cost, are builders of a new world."

"You have a family. I have no one. I have no wife or children, and even if they kill me, I don't care."

"In the parish, all pastoral care should be guided by the vocational line together with the missionary line: “all called, all sent.”"

"The Church has already excommunicated those who have committed atrocious crimes, such as the so-called men of honor. I can only add that murderers, those who live and feed on violence, have lost their human dignity. They are less than men; they degrade themselves, through their choices, to the rank of animals. (homily of 25 July 1993)"

"When a person's heart surrenders to God, when they say yes to Him, then the Kingdom comes, then God reigns."

"(Last words) I was expecting that."

"How can we talk about Christ? We must try to present the figure of Christ as someone we love, in the hope that people will listen to us."

"It is very difficult to die for a friend, but dying for enemies is even more difficult. Christ, however, died for us when we were still his enemies. God always remains close to us; it is the constancy of love to the extreme limit, indeed without limits. This is the reason for our joy. (homily of 14 September 1993)"

"Be a witness, especially for those who harbor anger toward a society they see as hostile. The witness must instill hope in them by helping them understand that life is valuable when it is given freely."

"God loves us, but always through someone else."

"(In the hospital, before dying, while forgiving his murderer) I want him with me in Heaven."

"Maria was also greatly admired for her humble origins, which she redeemed with the strength with which she defended her dignity as a human being and daughter of God. Her cult therefore had social significance, as Palmiro Togliatti understood when he cited her as an example to young communists in a speech in the 1950s."

"A small and gentle martyr of purity."

"Maria Goretti followed in the footsteps of the young martyrs of early Christianity who gave their lives to defend their purity. (...) Keep the testimony of Saint Maria Goretti constantly before your eyes. As a model of martyrdom, little Maria, after bringing her murderer to the path of Christian virtue, continues to help all those who are ready to accept the Gospel with its strict but liberating moral demands. In particular, she encourages you, dear children and young people. Little Maria offers new strength to all who, in the struggle, turn against evil and direct themselves toward goodness, trust, and longing for Christ."

"Maria Goretti's life was indeed a struggle, but its end was both magnificent and dramatic. She was so weak—how could a twelve-year-old child defend herself against brutal violence? How could she not yield to the villain who attacked and overwhelmed her? On one side stood spiritual strength, and on the other, physical strength. Spiritual courage and physical strength began to fight each other. When you look at this scene, you might say that strength won. However, when we look more closely, we must conclude that spiritual courage triumphed. Thus, the weakness of this girl overcame the strength of the criminal. Violence was stopped and defeated by a defenseless, weak, simple, modest child who had nothing else to oppose it but her clear conscience and desire to preserve Christian ideals. Maria Goretti won."

"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

"Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”"

"Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”"

"Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do."

"[Jesus:] "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”"

"The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”"

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."

"Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”"

"Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”"

"(Before the Feeding the multitude) There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"

"(To Saint Peter referring to Jesus) We have found the Messiah."

"The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”"

":*Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, quoted in Carlo Ruta (editor), Viaggiatori in Sicilia tra rinascimento e illuminismo, Edi.bi.si, Messina, 2007, pp. 34-35 (in Italian)."

"[Italian graphic novelist Fabia] Mustica recounts a promise made to Agatha years ago, following the moment her cherished cousin awoke from a deep coma caused by a car accident. This event coincided with the night the hospital chaplain circulated the Veil of Saint Agatha in the intensive care unit. This relic, treasured by the residents of Catania, is believed to be the same veil that endured while her tormentor, Quintianus, forced Agatha to walk over scorching coals and burn. Mustica vowed to dedicate a graphic novel to the saint. However, distracted by her busy life, she delayed fulfilling this promise until the saint reminded her during her prayer before her statue in Catania Cathedral."

"Lucy, a noble maiden from Syracuse, having heard of Saint Agatha's fame throughout Sicily, went to her tomb with her mother Euticia, who had been suffering from blood loss for four years and whom the doctors had been unable to cure. It so happened that during the celebration of Mass that day, the passage from the Gospel was read in which it is said that the Lord healed a woman from that same illness. Lucia then said to her mother: ‘If you believe what has been read, believe that Agatha always has beside her the one for whom she suffered martyrdom. Therefore, if you touch her tomb with faith, you will immediately regain your health.’ When everyone had left, the mother and daughter remained in prayer at the tomb. Lucia fell asleep and saw Agatha before her, adorned with precious stones, surrounded by angels, who said to her: 'My sister Lucy, virgin devoted to God, why do you ask me for what you yourself could obtain for your mother? Behold, thanks to your faith, she is healed."

"[5 February] Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr, who, while still young, preserved the purity of her body and the integrity of her faith during the persecution in Catania, Sicily, offering her testimony for Christ the Lord."

"He visited the main church dedicated to Saint Agatha, whose choir features forty-two beautifully carved images depicting the life of the saint, culminating in her coronation by Christ and Mary. The seats in the apse can accommodate sixteen clergymen, all of whom must be of noble birth and receive an annual income of one hundred and fifty scudi. In the church, which is long and narrow in shape, there is a chapel where the body of Saint Agatha is kept, securely closed by two doors, one made of iron and the other of copper, with eight different locks. The ceiling is decorated with ancient but still splendid paintings depicting the sufferings of Christ. The church has a beautiful bell tower with a melodious bell, which can be reached after climbing two hundred and forty-two steps."

"Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”"

"Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

"Everyone should put the elders first in accordance with the customs to treat elders with respect."

"Truth will eventually triumph one day, the light of freedom will doubtlessly and without fail illuminate the whole family and bestow its blessings upon all."

"Old habits in particular will not make it easy to realize our ideas, but nonetheless, we should make up our minds and strive to achieve them."

"Even though you are like travelers at dusk at the foot of a mountain, you should not be discouraged, because you will certainly advance step by step toward the top of that mountain called consciousness. Isn’t it so? Anyone who looks attentively at human history will understand that all people, the wise and the fool, and also the poor, are heading toward the shore of freedom, each in their own way."

"One should improve upon the habit of giving to others what one desires for oneself."

"Women are not men’s belongings."

"There is nothing more dangerous than to pass judgment on the basis of fragmentary proof."